On to Canadaigua

Today was a beautiful day riding through New York. The sky was blue and the fields were green all day long. Although there was a lot of traffic on the road, the shoulder was wide. So it might have been a bit noisy from the cars and trucks, but it felt quite safe to be riding along. The hills and the headwinds did make it quite a challenge however. I drove the van and set up the first SAG. After the second van arrived at the SAG, I was able to hop on the bike and take off. Thus I got in 65 miles. And I was ready to quit by then. One of the pictures was from the SAG stop in Avon. Everyone was enjoying the stop in the shade and they were in no hurry to leave.

Ohio and PA

I was chastised by the Brickster today for the lack of blog entries. And he was on target with his chastisement. I have been completely remiss with writing in my blog. Maybe by the end of writing today I will understand why and let you know.

So we traveled through Ohio. For those of you who have done this trip you know it is the state with the most potholes in their roads. And they haven't fixed them. The countryside is pretty but you spend so much time focused on the road that you can't really see much of it. I did my usual riding and driving for the days we traveled there. I have to confess that I didn't ride the hills to Wooster. They did not look nearly so steep from the inside of the van.

On the day from Wooster to Erie, it started out innocent enough. I was driving the truck and just as I approached Rik and Tom at about mile 20 I saw a bolt of lightening and a very dark sky. They flagged me down, got their bikes in the truck, and we assessed the situation. Luckily we found a church that had a picnic shelter on the property. As the sky got darker and rain started to fall, we were able to gather the riders off the road and get them under the shelter. It seemed like a great place to have the SAG and we all had fun for the next hour. Then the sky started to clear and the rest of the day was great.

The rest day in Erie was welcomed by all. I personally did very little. I guess I was tired. The night we got there a huge storm hit. Boy we were glad no one was out on the road. That would have been a very serious situation.

Today we moved into NY. I drove SAG van so didn't get to ride. I am looking forward to riding tomorrow. This week is the best riding of the whole trip in my opinion. However it is sad also because the trip is almost over.

Riding through Indiana

Seems like this is the time of the tour when life becomes routine. We have been on tour for more than a month. This is life for us now. Ride, Eat, Sleep, Repeat. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy this routine very much. And the end is looming which is a sad thing to contemplate.

Carol came back in Champaign. The staff has been in a strange rotation due to family emergencies, business requirements, doctor appointments, etc. Eileen's daughter had surgery so she went home in Kansas. Then Tracy had to return home for a week. So Carol came back for this week and is providing her wonderful food for the SAGs. Rik, the mechanic is back for the rest of the tour. With all the changes, the support to the riders still runs smoothly. I am back to truck driving and riding instead of van driving and riding. I must admit I like the truck better!

Yesterday we had a fun event when we got to Indy. One of the riders, Alan, arranged a visit to the ZIPP wheel factory. We were given an extensive tour of the manufacturing line. For the non riders who are reading this, ZIPP makes very high end carbon wheels. It was a fascinating tour. There is a tremendous amount of hand labor that goes into making the wheel. Thus the reason for their price.

The number of riders this year is very small. After losing two to knee injuries there are only 12 riders. However, that makes for an interesting dynamic. They have become a very tight knit group. As we watched them leave the beach in LA, the staff predicted they would be close. And they are. At every meal they want the tables arranges so that all 12 can be together. And last night they were plotting how they could all meet up to have lunch together while riding into Richmand, Indiana. I think "splitting up will be hard to do" in Boston.

The weather has been great and the countryside bright and green the past few days.

Quincy to Springfield to Champaign

First a report on the trip to Springfield, IL. Amazingly the skies were clear and everyone anticipated a nice and easy ride to Springfield.  However, true to form for the XC 14 riders, there was a significant headwind the entire day. For the riders it was a 106 mile day which resulted in the fatigue piling on even more. This is the time of the trek when you wonder why you are even doing the ride. For me between truck and van driving I pedaled 25 miles. Not quite enough to satisfy me but that is how it worked out. 

The bridge in the picture was a two lane bridge. So I had to just take my lane and go. There was absolutely no shoulder. I waited until the coast seemed clear and took off. It was not long before I could hear the 18 wheeler that came up behind me shift down and down and down. I spun my little legs as fast as I could, hoping the driver could see I was trying to move faster. As he moved past me on the other side, I gave him a nice sweet wave. Maybe that helped.  As you can see from the picture, we are now in corn country.  The corn is not very high but it is a lovely dark shade of green. 

A rider, Randy, had to drop out of the tour in Liberal, KS, because of knee problems. He lives in Springfield and he and his wife hosted us for dinner. What a wonderful treat. I enjoyed watching the riders with their voracious appetites. A large tray of a variety of cheese was set before them out on the patio. I have never seen so much cheese disappear in such a hurry. The hoard simply descended and devoured it. That was followed by lasagne, fruit, and wonderful brownies and ice cream. 

Now fast forward to the ride to Champaign. It was cold, rainy, and just downright miserable. Add to that rough roads with no shoulder and the inevitable headwinds and you have riders that just wanted the day to end. I chose not to ride because I could and drove the SAG van all day. It was so cold I had to dig out the wool Indian blanket vest I bought in Santa Fe and put it on under my rain jacket. 

Champaign is a much needed rest day. For me that means a trip to the laundromat to restock the supply of clean clothes. 

Sent from my iPhone

Chilocothe to Kirksville to Quincy

I have no pictures of the ride to Kirksville. For those of you who have ridden that ride you know it is one rough riding day. It is the day of the 148 rolling Missouri hills. Now add to that a downpour all day and headwinds and you begin to get the picture. Most of the riders hung in there and did the entire ride. My hat goes off to them. It was really tough. I strategically chose not to ride. You see I can do that with a clear conscience this year. I drove the SAG van and set up the SAG in the pouring rain. I tried keeping their sandwiches dry as they ate them. But I wasn't very successful and got soaked through myself.

Today going to Quincy was a very nice riding day. I was back to truck driving and riding. Put 44 miles on the bike. The weather was cool and cloudy. We crossed the mighty Mississippi which was very full of muddy brown water. It is hard to believe we have come 2000 miles and crossed 7 state lines. Soon the epic journey will be over. Many, if not all, of the riders are feeling fatigued. And the staff is feeling it also. As in other years the rest day in Champaign will really be a welcome respite.

Challenges of Missouri Hills

Since I last wrote we have moved on from Kansas to Missouri. Leaving Kansas proved to be an adventure for half of the riders and a boring morning for the other half. The riders who normally leave at 7:00 just pulled away when the skies darkened and it started raining. After the rain got worse Robin and I got in the van and took off to keep track of them in order to get them off the road if the weather got worse. Of course by the time we found them, they were into the adventure of riding and didn't want to quit. They did take shelter a couple of times. The worst part was the winds at the trailing edge of the storm. They didn't last long but were nasty. The riders who were to leave at 7:30 were held at the hotel until 11:00 and didn't even get wet.

Today I drove the truck the first 30 miles to Maysville. The DeKalb Historical society once again hosted us with homemade cinnamon rolls and peanut butter sandwiches. They are such sweet people and were delightful to talk with. One of the ladies asked me if I was riding a special bike. I think she was wondering if I had a tricycle bike. A 92 year old gentleman warned me about the steep hill a mile out of town. I pedaled from Maysville to Chilocothe (56 miles) and found more than one steep hill. In fact there was a whole string of them.

There has been a lot of rain here and you can see that the rivers are quite full. But it sure makes the countryside nice and green.

Oh yes, our room does get a bit messy.

Almost through Kansas

We have had some beautiful days of riding to Abilene and then to Topeka. The flat western Kansas has changed to luscious green rolling hills. Of course the riding is harder in the hills but the scenery is amazing. In between the riding we had a great day of rest in Abilene.

Carol is gone and that is sad. She is a good friend as well as an amazing food preparation lady. So she officially handed the kitchen over to Eileen and I. We had our first SAG responsibility day today. I guess the food was OK. No one complained anyway.

Yesterday was marred by construction that we couldn't get through. The result of that was having to take a detour which dropped us off onto I70. That was not fun. I took the first exit back off. Then I was trying to figure out how to get to the hotel because I was way off route. That would have been easy with Google maps but my phone battery died. I followed the sounds of the freeway and headed in what I hoped was the right direction. As soon as I could, I used the old fashioned method of asking directions. I was heading the correct way and made it in.

There was no chance to have dinner last night as Eileen and I had to go shopping for food for the next day and then prepare it. We were cleaning dishes in the very small bathroom, cutting food at the desk, etc. Hopefully the food preparation will go easier going forward.

Great Bend to McPherson

I had the great pleasure of riding wit Rik the mechanic today. Not only is he a nice guy, but he is tall and blocks the wind. And true to form, today was another windy Kansas day. It was a quartering cross wind so I positioned myself to take maximum advantage of the situation. After 44 miles I was happy to get in the truck and go to the hotel to deliver luggage.

Tonight was dinner at Applebee's. This manager looks forward to us coming, takes a picture of the riders and has them sign a menu. As we left to walk back to the hotel, you could see a big storm moving in. When it hit, it was indeed a big deluge. Glad we were not out on the road.

One more riding day and it will be a much needed rest day.

Dodge City to Great Bend KS

Yet another day in Kansas. It takes a long time to get across Kansas when you go due East. And pretty much that is what we do. We get on the bike, ride out of town, get on a road going east, spot a grain elevator down the road, point the nose of the bike at the grain elevator and peddle. Sometimes there is a wide shoulder and sometimes a narrow shoulder. But always there are 18 wheeler trucks. Today some of them were hauling the amazingly big blades for the wind turbines. Most of the truckers move over to give us room when they have a chance. Only once or twice did I have to suck it in so to speak.

I rode the full 84 miles today. Now I remember what that is like. Many of the riders are talking about fatigue. It is no wonder as they are approaching the halfway point of the trip. Two more days of riding and there will be a much appreciated rest day.

What a surprise last night. There was a knock on the door and a woman came in with a lovely birthday cake. We told her she must have the wrong room. But no it said Happy Birthday Jan on it. Right room. Robert and Jill have send a cake every year so I could celebrate with the riders. This year Norm and I were off on our own that day. So they surprised me last night. It was delicious and the group enjoyed it after pizza. This cake weighed at least 20 pounds. So they will enjoy it again at the SAG stop today. Thanks Robert and Jill.

Yesterday Carol and Eilene and I tried to find a downtown Great Bend to shop around in. What little we found was empty. The signs on the window said the stores closed at noon on Saturday. Reminded me of Germany.

Liberal to Dodge City

As the winds in Kansas go, today was a relatively easy day. There were some headwinds, quartering tailwinds, crosswinds. The normal array of wind for Kansas. Luckily they were not very strong. So it was an OK day to be out for 43 miles. I drove the truck to the SAG at the Dalton Gang Hideout and rode in from there. That is such a green shady spot for a SAG that I hated to leave.

Kansas apparently has not had a lot of rain. The wheat we have seen so far is very short and looks quite parched. This is the part of the country with small towns and grain elevators. And the people are fun to talk to. One poor little girl in the convenience store hid behind the counter. She told her older sister she was afraid of me because I looked like a biker. Two women in the same store, when finding out I was going to Dodge City, expressed their condolences. I asked why. The answer was that a huge stench comes from the sewage treatment plant outside of town. And it is the Dodge City people who are creating all that sewage. Good reasoning I guess. Probably as logical as most of us are.

Yesterday one of our riders had to go home. Randy has been trying to ride with a very sore knee/leg since leaving LA. Finally he decided to drive home to Springfield and get it checked out. We are hoping he can rejoin. Such a sweetheart of a guy.

Alan the retired dentist made a discovery today. To quote Alan: "The big discovery today was an electrolyte rich food that I discovered and realized that for those of us unable to eat bananas, it is a fine substitute. It has 280 cal, 140 mg potassium, 75 mg sodium, 4 g of protein, and 24 g of carbs. A GU gel has only 100 cal, 35 mg potassium, 45 mg sodium, no protein, and 25 g of carbs. What is this delightful energy treat you ask? It's a Blue Bunny 'Big Alaska' (Blue Bunny's Klondike alternative). Now, you may say "oh, it's full of fat" and I would say that yes, all of the additional 180 calories over the GU gel do come from fat, but, WHO CARES when you're riding so many miles in the humid heat and it's a choice of ice cream or hot energy gel?" I am sure there will be a run on these in the little stores along the route today. And they will wonder about the sudden interest on them.

Dalhart to Guyman to Liberal

I spent the Dalhart to Guyman section working. I did a shift driving the truck to the SAG and then the sweep van to the hotel. The SAG was at a Dairy Queen. The generosity of people in this area was displayed at the DQ. The manager gave ice cream treats to all of the riders who came in. What a a generous thing for her to do.

When Carol and Elaine and I were finishing loading the truck in the morning, a lady came by and said: "oh, three girls and a truck." So we had her take our picture.

Today was a short 40 miles to Liberal. I was riding the whole way so I left early in order to arrive before Tom did with the truck and bags that needed unloading. It was a fantastic day for a ride. There was a slight tailwind and a smooth road with a wide shoulder and few inclines. After I was out for about 15 miles, Rik caught up with me and we rode together. Today was the crossing into Kansas. Liberal has a great air museum. Note the picture of the airmen from the 1940's sitting on the same Texas sign where we had our picture taken. The airmen would go to Texas to get away from Kansas.